Overview
Community orientation
The E36 3-Series with M43/M42 fours and M50/M52 sixes. Age-related cooling-system and gasket items are the usual watch-points. Editorial summary, not a reliability rating; per-configuration facts and their evidence are below.
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Filtered: M50 · 2.0–2.5L petrol (M50).
Known issues
Sorted by severity. Tap an issue to reveal its symptom, repair and what to check.
Engines & reliability
Tap a row to filter the issues to that engine.
Maintenance
Key service intervals — vary by engine and driving conditions.
ItemIntervalCost
Engine oil and filter12,000–15,000 km
Cooling-system refresh120,000–150,000 km